On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony, On the twentieth dayThis phrase marks a specific point in time, emphasizing the precision and orderliness of God's plan for the Israelites. The use of specific dates in the Hebrew calendar underscores the historical nature of the events described in the Bible. It reflects the importance of time in God's divine plan, reminding believers that God is sovereign over time and history. The twentieth day signifies a moment of transition and readiness for the Israelites to move forward in their journey. of the second month
The second month in the Hebrew calendar is Iyar, which follows Nisan, the month of Passover. This timing is significant as it situates the event shortly after the Israelites celebrated their first Passover in the wilderness, a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. The second month represents a period of preparation and anticipation, as the Israelites are about to embark on the next phase of their journey to the Promised Land. of the second year
This phrase indicates that the Israelites have been in the wilderness for a full year since their exodus from Egypt. The second year marks a new chapter in their journey, highlighting God's faithfulness in sustaining them through the first year. It serves as a reminder of the lessons learned and the growth experienced during their time in the wilderness, preparing them for the challenges ahead. the cloud lifted
The cloud represents the presence and guidance of God among His people. In the Hebrew context, the cloud is a manifestation of God's glory and a symbol of His divine protection and leadership. The lifting of the cloud signifies God's command for the Israelites to break camp and continue their journey. It is a powerful reminder of the need for obedience and trust in God's timing and direction. from above the Tabernacle of the Testimony
The Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of Meeting, was the central place of worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among the Israelites. The term "Testimony" refers to the tablets of the Law, the Ten Commandments, housed within the Ark of the Covenant inside the Tabernacle. This phrase underscores the centrality of God's law and covenant in the life of the Israelite community. The lifting of the cloud from above the Tabernacle signifies God's readiness to lead His people forward, with His law and covenant as their guiding principles. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and are now journeying through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. 2. The Tabernacle of the TestimonyA sacred tent where God's presence dwelled among the Israelites. It was the central place of worship and guidance for the people. 3. The CloudA visible manifestation of God's presence and guidance. It would rest above the Tabernacle and move to signal the Israelites when to set out on their journey. 4. The WildernessThe desert area through which the Israelites traveled. It represents both a physical and spiritual journey of faith and dependence on God. 5. The Second YearThis marks the second year since the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, indicating a period of preparation and learning to trust in God's provision and timing. Teaching Points God's Guidance is ConstantJust as the cloud signaled when the Israelites should move, God provides guidance in our lives through His Word and the Holy Spirit. We must remain attentive and obedient to His leading. Trust in God's TimingThe Israelites moved according to God's timing, not their own. We are called to trust in God's perfect timing for our lives, even when it requires patience and faith. The Importance of CommunityThe Israelites journeyed together as a community, supporting one another. Similarly, believers are called to journey together in faith, encouraging and uplifting each other. Spiritual ReadinessThe lifting of the cloud signified readiness to move. We should be spiritually prepared and responsive to God's call, ready to act when He directs us. God's Presence in TransitionThe cloud's movement marked a transition. In our own transitions, we can find comfort in knowing that God's presence goes with us, providing assurance and peace. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the lifting of the cloud in Numbers 10:11 symbolize God's guidance in your own life? Can you identify a time when you felt God leading you in a specific direction? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we are attentive to God's guidance today, similar to how the Israelites watched the cloud? 3. How does the concept of community play a role in your spiritual journey, and how can you contribute to the faith community around you? 4. Reflect on a time when you had to trust in God's timing. What did you learn from that experience, and how can it apply to your current circumstances? 5. How can the account of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness encourage you during times of transition or uncertainty in your life? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 13:21-22This passage describes how the Lord led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, emphasizing God's constant guidance and presence. Psalm 78:14This verse recounts God's guidance of the Israelites through the wilderness with the cloud, highlighting His faithfulness and protection. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2Paul refers to the cloud and the Israelites' journey as a spiritual lesson for believers, illustrating the importance of following God's guidance. People Aaron, Abidan, Ahiezer, Ahira, Ammihud, Amminadab, Ammishaddai, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Deuel, Eliab, Eliasaph, Elishama, Elizur, Enan, Gad, Gamaliel, Gershon, Gershonites, Gideoni, Helon, Hobab, Issachar, Kohathites, Manasseh, Merari, Merarites, Moses, Nahshon, Naphtali, Nethaneel, Ocran, Pagiel, Pedahzur, Raguel, Reuben, Reuel, Shedeur, Shelumiel, Simeon, Zebulun, Zuar, ZurishaddaiPlaces Paran, SinaiTopics Cloud, Lifted, Month, Pass, Tabernacle, Tent, Testimony, Twentieth, WitnessDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 10:11-12 4805 clouds Numbers 10:11-13 4269 Sinai, Mount Numbers 10:11-14 7266 tribes of Israel Library November 17. "The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord Went Before Them" (Num. x. 33).
"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them" (Num. x. 33). God does give us impressions but not that we should act on them as impressions. If the impression be from God, He will Himself give sufficient evidence to establish it beyond the possibility of a doubt. How beautifully we read, in the story of Jeremiah, of the impression that came to him respecting the purchase of the field of Anathoth, but Jeremiah did not act upon this impression until after the following day, when his uncle's …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth Hobab
'And Moses said unto Hobab ... Come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.'--NUM. x. 29. There is some doubt with regard to the identity of this Hobab. Probably he was a man of about the same age as Moses, his brother- in-law, and a son of Jethro, a wily Kenite, a Bedouin Arab. Moses begs him to join himself to his motley company, and to be to him in the wilderness 'instead of eyes.' What did Moses want a man for, when he had the cloud? What do we …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Hallowing of Work and of Rest
'And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee. 36. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.'--Num. x. 35, 36. The picture suggested by this text is a very striking and vivid one. We see the bustle of the morning's breaking up of the encampment of Israel. The pillar of cloud, which had lain diffused and motionless over the Tabernacle, gathers itself …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Publication of the Gospel
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it [or of the preachers] P erhaps no one Psalm has given greater exercise to the skill and patience of commentators and critics, than the sixty-eighth. I suppose the difficulties do not properly belong to the Psalm, but arise from our ignorance of various circumstances to which the Psalmist alludes; which probably were, at that time, generally known and understood. The first verse is the same with the stated form of benediction …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Letter Lv. Replies to Questions of Januarius.
Or Book II. of Replies to Questions of Januarius. (a.d. 400.) Chap. I. 1. Having read the letter in which you have put me in mind of my obligation to give answers to the remainder of those questions which you submitted to me a long time ago, I cannot bear to defer any longer the gratification of that desire for instruction which it gives me so much pleasure and comfort to see in you; and although encompassed by an accumulation of engagements, I have given the first place to the work of supplying …
St. Augustine—The Confessions and Letters of St How the Humble and the Haughty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 18.) Differently to be admonished are the humble and the haughty. To the former it is to be insinuated how true is that excellence which they hold in hoping for it; to the latter it is to be intimated how that temporal glory is as nothing which even when embracing it they hold not. Let the humble hear how eternal are the things that they long for, how transitory the things which they despise; let the haughty hear how transitory are the things they court, how eternal the things they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Second Coming of Christ.
^A Matt. XXIV. 29-51; ^B Mark XIII. 24-37; ^C Luke XXI. 25-36. ^b 24 But in those days, ^a immediately after the { ^b that} ^a tribulation of those days. [Since the coming of Christ did not follow close upon the destruction of Jerusalem, the word "immediately" used by Matthew is somewhat puzzling. There are, however, three ways in which it may be explained: 1. That Jesus reckons the time after his own divine, and not after our human, fashion. Viewing the word in this light, the passage at II. Pet. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Numbers 10:11 NIVNumbers 10:11 NLTNumbers 10:11 ESVNumbers 10:11 NASBNumbers 10:11 KJV
Numbers 10:11 Commentaries
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